Room 13B
by Fantasism
Summary: Neighbors!AU. After being kicked out of his brother's, Gilbert struggles with living on his own in a rundown apartment complex. All the of the tenants are admittedly pretty interested, but Matthew from 13A intrigues him the most. And thus, the story of a nearly-thirty-year-old suffering a high-schooler crush. PruCan. M for future content.
1. Chapter 1

_A/n: I've been wanting to do a Neighbors!AU, but at first I was unsure. Should I make them childhood friends, or new neighbors? I felt like I could have a lot of fun with both, but this is what eventually stuck out to me. On that note, it's been a long while since I've posted anything, and I apologize if I am no yet fully up to my writing groove._

 _Warnings: Some mentions of marijuana and drinking, sex, and swearing, hence the M-rating._

* * *

 _Disc.: No, I don't own Hetalia._

 _Room 13B_

Some might call him delusional.

In fact, that was _exactly_ what his younger brother had called him immediately following Gilbert's own colorful tirade as he was in the process of moving all of his belongings out of his sibling's home. Honestly, though, what kind of _brother_ kicked out his own family? So what if his little boy toy was moving in? So _what_ if Gilbert didn't have a "real job"? He had pretty much raised that kid, god dammit, and he wanted a little respect.

A little voice in his head mockingly asked him if he was _deserving_ of this respect. Sure, he'd protected the little brat, but what did he have to show for it now? He was pushing thirty, barely made enough out of his free-lancing to afford to eat, didn't have a girlfriend, and now, even his own _flesh and blood_ had had enough of him.

Luckily for the albino, he didn't focus on things like _introspection_ for very long, instead reverting to his previous method of being offended. He took out his anger in the door in front of him, pulling out his new key and jamming it into the lock with more force than was appropriate.

Anyway, Ludwig would be calling him up in a week, tops, _begging_ him to come back. In fact, Gilbert had told him so as he was heading out the door.

In turn, he earned that stupid _delusional_ title.

Which he wasn't. He was awesome, and he in no way deserved this.

Alas, here he was, standing in the entryway of his _new_ home, a cheap, rundown apartment complex that had a sudden vacancy right when he needed it. Room 13B. The movers had been kind enough to leave every single box in the living room, since Gilbert had not bothered marking them accordingly, and he eyed the mountain of luggage wearily, wondering if he should at least unpack his blankets before hunting down the closest bar and drowning his misery with beer. Because it would really suck to have to unpack his entire bedding _after_ getting shit-faced.

Now that he thought about it, he probably had too much stuff for this tiny place. Blowing snowy hair out of his eyes, he rolled up his sleeves and began trudging through mess. Pillows and blankets were his main goal, but he rationalized finding things like his toothbrush, phone charger, and some clothes were also pretty important. He couldn't help but think that this was a giant waste of time, though. Things would be back to normal in _no_ time, and he'd be out of this hell hole and back in his guest room where he belonged.

As he was contemplating this, he realized the box he was rummaging through was for the _kitchen_ (mostly) and shoved it aside. His hands froze in midair towards another, but a scurrying from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Turning his head, the man let out an ear-piercing shriek.

–

Matthew Williams was often described as invisible. That is, when he was remembered, at least. Over the years, the young man had learned to use this to his advantage, but it also came with many drawbacks. The most obvious being the fact he was so overwhelmingly plain it was almost physically painful.

It wasn't his looks—he was mistaken enough for his popular twin brother that he no longer had to worry about that, no. It was just _him_. There was nothing notable about him. He was, to put it gently, _boring_. In fact, the most interesting thing about him was probably the rundown apartment complex he lived in.

Though he'd only lived there for one out of his twenty years, it was the homiest place Matthew had ever been because it was _his_ and he felt like he belonged for once. Sure, it was falling apart, and there was no air conditioning, but there were constantly new faces coming in and out, new stories and culture and wonders. He was on a first-name basis with most of the neighbors who had lived in the building for more than a few months, though they did still struggle to remember him sometimes. Matt didn't take offense to it, however. It was just _him_.

Tonight was pretty quiet. He'd seen movers bringing up some boxes just across the hall from him, but he tamped down his curiosity, knowing how tiring a move could be. Perhaps he could bring something over in the morning to scope out this new face, as he was sure the others would be intrigued as well. For now, he'd put on a movie, maybe smoke a bowl, and get some sleep.

At least, that was the plan until a blood-curdling scream shot through the complex.

–

Gilbert had somehow managed to climb atop the precarious stack of boxes and glared down at his mighty opponent. Brown, furry, and probably the size of his _fucking fist_ , a spider crawled around the room like he owned the place, effectively pinning Gilbert with just his threatening appearance.

Now, Gilbert was no coward. He'd been in fights, was a fireman for a few months, did some cliff-jumping as a teenager, and would probably do even more dangerous things well into his adulthood. Put him up against a spider? Fuck. No. They were freaks of nature, the bigger the nastier, and _this_ one in particular was intruding on his brand new space. To make matters worse, Gilbert's phone was too far to reach and he knew no one who lived nearby.

He couldn't stay here, that was it. This spider was only the beginning, it was sending him a message—

There was a panicked pounding on the door. "H-Hello? I'm your neighbor—Matthew—I heard screaming, are you alright?"

Gilbert was not religious, but he profusely thanked every god he could possibly think of. "Holy fuck, get in here and _kill it_!"

Apparently that was enough of an invitation, because a few moments later the albino caught sight of another man. He was tall, with curly, shoulder-length blond hair and eyes a surprising shade a violet. Though, Gilbert had no place to talk about strange eye colors. His skin was tanned from the sun, dark brows furrowed and Gilbert almost had the _audacity_ to ask why he looked so uptight before he remembered why he invited this stranger into his apartment in the first place and shrieked, "The beast! _Slay the beast_!" He flailed in the direction he last saw it, but the man—Matthew?— only carefully approached him.

"Hey, wait—don't move around so much you're gonna—"

His fortress of boxes tumbled, Gilbert going right along with them. It all happened pretty fast, and Gilbert let out some pretty impressive language on the way down as all of his belongings flew in random directions, their crates destroyed. The elder brace himself for impact, confused when it was taking so long.

Crimson orbs opened to reveal his guest had caught him in his (admittedly strong) arms. Well then, Gilbert pride was going to be reduced to dust at the end of the night. Some dude he'd never met had barged into his home after hearing what he must have thought was Gilbert's outright _murder_ only to save him with a fucking princess carry. He was not one to easily embarrass, but _this—_

" _THERE IT IS_!" Gilbert cried as the creature darted across his floor once more. Matthew, for his part, asked no questions, actually _sighed_ before he put the other man down, grabbed a Tupperware container that had fallen out of one of the many felled boxes of the evening, and dropped it over the spider within moments.

Silence came over them now that the immediate danger was out of the way, and then, "...Did you really scream like that over a spider?"

Gilbert could feel his ears grow hot, and his only consolation was that the rest of the apartment hadn't come to see what all the ruckus was about as well. "I—ugh. I fucking _hate_ bugs."

"Spiders are good for bugs, though; they eat them," the boy said, kneeling on the ground. Gilbert couldn't bring himself to watch, but he must have fiddled with something because when he looked back at him, the spider was still trapped in the container, a CD case covering the top, secure in Matthew's hand. "She actually belongs to one of the tenants. I'll return her."

"She, huh," Gilbert commented, squinting at the little monster. "So it's a _lady_ spider. That means it can have babies. I vote we kill it."

The blond frowned at him. "Technically, she's lived here longer than you, so she holds priority, you know?" Seeming to have caught Gilbert's aghast stare, he quickly changed the subject. "Um, I mentioned it before but I'm your new neighbor, Matthew Williams. I live across the hall. It's nice to meet you."

This kid was kind of weird, but Gilbert had to admit he was also a little hilarious, and he had basically saved his life. In fact, he could be just what Gilbert needed to survive this ordeal; someone to watch out for him in this new place. Grinning, he answered. "Gilbert, pleasure's all mine."

Not long after, Matthew excused himself to go return the spider to its owner, to which Gilbert suggested once more that they exterminate it. Matthew had effectively ignored him, reminding the albino that he lived just across the hall if he needed anything and the boy was gone, spawn-of-Satan taken with him.

By this point, the albino was way to tired to even contemplate going out to barhop. He'd make his bed and then knock the fuck out. Perhaps tomorrow he could get his neighbor to help him unpack, or maybe he'd call up Francis and Antonio and make them do it.

Nah, he didn't really want to think about it a lot, but he _did_ want to see that Matthew kid again. Gilbert wasn't exactly "boyfriend material", didn't really have a "type". He just kind of... liked people. And he liked Matthew. It _was_ pretty awesome how he barged into his house to save him, after all. Even if he did totally emasculation him, at least _he_ was cool doing it.

Gilbert shrugged to himself. Perhaps this was what his brother meant by "delusional"?  
–

 _A/n: This... got out of hand. Please drop a **review**_ _so I can get the next part up ASAP c:_


	2. Chapter 2

Part of Matthew's boring lifestyle usually allowed him to sleep in until noon, barring the days he had morning classes. So it was no wonder why he was so shocked when he heard a loud, incessant banging on his door at—he turned his head, glancing at his alarm clock—seven-thirty in the morning. Rubbing his eyes, the blond reached blindly for his glasses, shoving them onto his face and suppressing the urge to yawn as he rolled out of bed. Anything to stop that _racket_. He was sure his neighbors would start complaining soon, as none of them could really be defined as "morning people."

Opening his door, he found himself corrected. There stood his newest of acquaintances, Gilbert. "'Sup, dude? I was hoping you could point me in the direction of some breakfast. I'm starving and I didn't pack any food with me."

Matthew blinked slowly. "...How do you feel about pancakes?"

–

An hour later and Matthew had a rather satisfied albino comfortably washing dishes at his kitchen sink. He didn't exactly picture Gilbert to be the housekeeping type, but the older man had nearly had a fit when he'd spotted Matthew's hoodie on his living room floor, and then the dirty dishes beginning to pile in the basin. He'd declared what he was doing was in thanks of breakfast, but Matt suspected that he could, potentially, be a neat freak.

"So, what's your story, kid?"

Matthew jumped, startled from his pondering. "Excuse me?"

His guest scoffed. "You know, your story. Do you usually go off saving damsels in distress, or was last night a special occasion?" He spared the boy a sidelong glance as he finished drying glass in his hands.

Matt chuckled in return, though he was unsure if it was because Gilbert had referred to himself as a _damsel_ or if it was his ridiculous assumption. He settled for both. "Oh, no—I was just startled at your shrieking. I think anyone would have come running." He shook his head, laughing to himself. Really, their first impressions of one another was pretty wild for Gilbert to compare him to some knight in shining armor.

"But only _you_ did.:

"Well," Matthew shrugged, "It was pretty late."

Somehow, he managed not to notice that Gilbert had finished with the dishes and was now standing before him, arms crossed and gaze unwavering. As Matthew was sitting down, he had to crane his neck to look up at him, which felt stranger because he was certainly a few inches taller. "I think you're a pretty interesting guy."

He thought _Matthew_ was interesting? Had he still been in high school, he might've blushed. Regardless, it left him with a bubbling feeling in his stomach. Nobody had ever said that to him before. In fact, when people remembered, they usually called him anything _but_ interesting. "Um, thank you, but I really think you have the wrong—"

"What're you doing today?"

" _Huh_?" Was Gilbert always like this? Constantly bouncing from topic to topic? Perhaps years of living with Alfred would prove beneficial to him, after all. "Nothing really, I was going to do some shopping, but—"

Gilbert pumped a fist into the air. "Sweet! Let's go."

"Pardon?"

"You're going to show me around, _duh_!"

–

Gilbert smiled smugly to himself once Matthew excused himself to change. Ah, yes, this morning couldn't have gone more perfectly. Not only had he made breakfast for him—they were now going out together. It was practically a _date_.

His chest gave another weird flutter—it'd been doing that a lot since last night. In fact, if he thought about it, he kind of felt like a student again. Jittery and nervous, but excited. Which was really dumb and super _lame_. Sure, he'd had a rather long dry spell recently, but it wasn't like he was completely inexperienced. He reminded himself once more that he was going to be _thirty_ and that probably meant he should start acting like an adult soon. And adults didn't have things as stupid as _crushes_. Besides that, he wasn't sure how old Matthew exactly was (though, if he was living by himself, he had to be at least eighteen), but he was definitely _younger_ , and younger guys these days weren't usually so comfortable with their sexuality. Gil was walking on thin ice here. On one hand, he wasn't exactly sure what to do with all these feelings himself, and now he had to be careful not to scare away his new companion with them.

It wasn't long before the aforementioned man appeared once more, ushering Gilbert out the door and locking it behind him. They made their way out of the complex in relative silence, and it wasn't until they hit the stairwell when they ran into another one of Gilbert's new neighbors.

It was a girl, probably just a bit younger than Matthew with long, blonde hair and dark blue eyes. With only a glance, she convinced Gilbert not to fuck with her. She looked like the kind of chick who would castrate you with a spoon. He'd bet that ridiculously huge bow she was wearings served only to throw her victims off.

Just like last night, Matthew approached this new demon with no qualms. "Ah, good morning, Natasha. Did you have early lectures?"

The girl only spared Matthew a glare before sidestepping the duo and heading up the stairs. Gilbert whistled lowly. "Wow, what a bitch."

Still, Matthew only chuckled. Geez, what would it take to perturb this guy just a little bit? "It's partially my own fault. She lives here with her older brother—actually, that spider from last night belongs to her. She doesn't like me much because I used to date her sister."

Ah, there it was. Of course Matthew dated girls. Look at him—that Natasha lady was probably just mad she couldn't get to him first. But—but Gilbert could be _better_ than a girl. Of course he could—he was the epitome of awesome! Matt wouldn't know what hit him!

But, wait, did Matthew have a _type_?

"Oh, yeah?" Gilbert egged on, feigning casualty. "What was she like?"

The blond actually _reddened_. "Um, well... she had rather large bre—"

A shoe came flying down the stairs, perfectly nailing Matthew right in the back of his curly head. Gilbert only managed to catch a glimpse of a seemingly evil aura, but he was almost one hundred percent positive that had been thanks to Natasha.

"I also deserved that," Matthew finished off with a sigh, and Gilbert couldn't help but be impressed once more as to how _unaffected_ he was about everything. "Let's get going."

That's right—Matt was probably, like, the most laid-back dude _ever_. He probably didn't give a shit about being labeled straight or gay or whatever. Maybe this would be simple. He knew it'd be fun.

–

To be honest, it wasn't like Gilbert had no idea where anything was in this city—it wasn't like it was too far from his previous home. He did, however, enjoy watching Matthew show him his favorite parts of it, so he figured it was worth it.

He was pretty tired when they returned to the building a few hours later, and he ignored the little voice in his head that called him an old man. They reached their floor, and Gilbert almost began to panic when he saw Matt turn. He was going to wish him a goodnight—but Gilbert wasn't done yet! All they did was _sight-see_! If things went how he was hoping, he'd only be living across the hall from Matt for a _week_ , so that meant they had to work fast.

So, in the most eloquent way he could, he blurted, " _Beer_!" When Matthew's face began transforming into a question mark, he clarified, "I bought some beer, Mattie! The night is still young, come on." Gil shoved the aforementioned alcohol into Matt's arms, using his now free hands to search his pockets for his key. He was soon victorious, shoving it into the lock without wasting much time.

" _Mattie_?" Matthew groaned from behind him. "My brother calls me Mattie."

"Well, _my_ brother calls me delusional, so it could be worse," Gilbert countered, but he filed that information away for later. So, Matt had a brother as well? Maybe he had a big stick shoved up his ass like Ludwig. Or, wait, maybe he was laid back, like Matthew?

The blond gave a laugh as Gil ushered him into his room. "Delusional? I could see that. You thought I was some sort of _hero_ last night." He snorted again, and Gilbert wondered why he found it so funny?

"What're you saying?" Gil asked, following Matt into (his own) kitchen as the younger man opened his refrigerator, reaching for the beers to cool them, but then froze.

" _Gilbert, you have no food!_ "

–

Twenty minutes and almost fifty dollars later, Gilbert now had enough food to get him through the week. He couldn't help grinning stupidly to himself; Matt had just seemed so _worried_ about his well-being. He had to care about him a little bit, right? He repressed the urge to whistle a tune as he stocked his grocery's, only being distracted when Matthew reentered the room.

"So, how old are you, again?" he asked. Gilbert no longer felt like smiling, and in fact squinted at the boy.

"...Twenty-nine. My birthday's coming up soon. August 17th." Finishing up, he grabbed two beers, shoving one in Matt's direction. "Why?"

"I'm not supposed to drink, I'm only twenty." Well, that answered _one_ of Gilbert's many burning questions. "And, well, it's just—have you ever lived on your own before?"

Silence.

A strangled noise escaped Gil's throat. Part of him wanted to get up in Matt's face about respecting your elders, but another part of him could feel just how hot his ears were growing, and, Jesus fucking Christ, he thought he'd embarrassed himself enough in front of this kid already.

" _Listen here, you little shit—"_

–

Gilbert was still flustered. But at least now he was drunk.

Matthew, for his credit, had remained rather calm throughout Gilbert's tantrum. And—though he'd ultimately failed—had tried his best to keep from laughing at the albino while he ranted at him. Gilbert was, admittedly, short-tempered. So it was rather different for someone to be so damn _calm_ around him. Seriously, how could this kid ever think himself _dull_? He was just, apparently, made of steel. Which was pretty awesome.

He glanced over at his violet-eyed friend. Gil hadn't bothered to unpack much yet, but he did have all his blankets set up in the middle of the living room, as well as his wifi already hooked up and his laptop plugged in, which, really, were all the necessities he needed. Matt was currently reclining against the wall, nursing his fourth beer of the evening. Sure, he said he wasn't _supposed_ to drink, but it didn't mean he didn't _like_ to drink. Gilbert laid probably an arms-distance away, head on the pillows and almost eight beers in.

He wondered what would startle the kid. The most distressed he'd seen him so far was their very first meeting, and even then, only his brows were furrowed. Every other occasion? Sighs, smiles or shrugs. What was up with that, anyway?

No, wait. He did see him blush—even just a little. When he'd been talking about that ex of his. Well, _that_ made him feel like pouting, but perhaps it wasn't just _her_. Maybe he was just _romantically_ shy? During their outing, Gilbert _had_ tied to drop hints, and he assumed Matt was just ignoring them, but what if he was actually oblivious?

"Hey, Mattie?"

Gilbert was never one to beat around the bush.

"Yes?"

"Wanna go out with me?"

–

 _A/n: Thank you all so much for all the wonderful feedback! I actually started writing this chapter as soon as I posted the other because I was so excited! Now, a few things I'd like to mention about this chapter._

 _I am actually obsessed with Ukraine's boobs. I'm not sorry._

 _Gil's birthday is actually the day King Frederick II died. I'm also not sorry for this (for, I do not know if there is a "Prussia Day", and besides, this takes place during the summer months)._

 _I live in the US, so don't drink if you're under twenty-one, kiddies. Matthew is from Canada, however, and the drinking age there is nineteen._

 _I understand, DAMN, these two move fast. But, I'll be honest, this was in my head as a_ one-shot _at first, and it just really got out of hand, haha. **The way I have this currently planned is to take place over the course of one-week, all inside the apartment complex** (hence, their outing being cut out). It's going to be fast, and probably short, but I hope you'll all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it._

 _I am also very sorry for the cliffhanger. I am a terrible person._

 _ **Replies** (I responded to everyone who used their account with a PM, for those who were not signed in):_

 _zen365: I'm glad you liked it! I am actually Gilbert when it comes to spiders—or mice. Or reptiles. Or anything creepy crawly, really. I know I got this up fast, but I hope you enjoyed!_


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